Jane
and I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very healthy and
happy new year.
It
goes without saying that 2019 will be a pivotal and momentous time for our
country and the entire planet. As you know, there is a monumental clash now
taking place between two very different political visions. Not to get you too
nervous, but the future of our country and the world is dependent upon which
side wins that struggle.
The
bad news is that in the United States and other parts of the world, the
foundations of democracy are under severe attack as demagogues, supported by
billionaire oligarchs, work to establish authoritarian type regimes. That is
true in Russia. That is true in Saudi Arabia. That is true in the United
States. While the very rich get much richer these demagogues seek to move us
toward tribalism and set one group against another, deflecting attention from
the real crises we face.
The
good news is that, all across this country, people are getting politically
involved and are fighting back. They are standing up for economic, political,
social and racial justice.
In the
last year we saw courageous teachers, in some of the most conservative states
in the country, win strikes as they fought for adequate funding for education.
We saw
low paid workers at Amazon, Disney and elsewhere undertake successful struggles
to raise their wages to a living wage – at least $15 an hour.
We saw
incredibly courageous young people, who experienced a mass shooting in their
school, lead successful efforts for commonsense gun safety legislation.
We saw
diverse communities stand together in the fight against mass incarceration and
for real criminal justice reform.
We saw
tens of thousands of Americans, from every walk of life, take to the streets
and demand that politicians respond to the global crisis of climate change.
As we
enter 2019, it seems to me that we must mount a two-pronged offensive. First,
we must vigorously take on the lies, bigotry and kleptocratic behavior of the
most irresponsible president in the modern history of our country. In every way
possible, we must stand up to the racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and
religious intolerance of the Trump administration.
But
fighting Trump is not enough.
The
truth is that despite relatively low unemployment, tens of millions of
Americans struggle daily to keep their heads above water economically as the
middle class continues to shrink.
While
the rich get richer, 40 million live in poverty, millions of workers are forced
to work two or three jobs to pay the bills, 30 million have no health
insurance, one in five cannot afford their prescription drugs, almost half of
older workers have nothing saved for retirement, young people cannot afford
college or leave school deeply in debt, affordable housing is increasingly
scarce, and many seniors cut back on basic needs as they live on inadequate
Social Security checks.
Our
job, therefore, is not only to oppose Trump but to bring forth a progressive
and popular agenda that speaks to the real needs of working people. We must
tell Wall Street, the insurance companies, the drug companies, the fossil fuel
industry, the military-industrial complex, the National Rifle Association and
the other powerful special interests that we will not continue to allow their
greed to destroy this country and our planet.
Politics
in a democracy should not be complicated. Government must work for all of the
people, not just the wealthy and the powerful. As a new House and Senate
convene next week, it is imperative that the American people stand up and
demand real solutions to the major economic, social, racial and environmental
crises that we face. In the richest country in the history of the world, here
are some (far from all) of the issues that I will be focusing on this year.
What do you think? How can we best work together?
Protect
American democracy:
Repeal Citizens United, move to public funding of elections and end voter
suppression and gerrymandering. Our goal must be to establish a political
system that has the highest voter turnout in the world and is governed by the
democratic principle of one person - one vote.
Take
on the billionaire class:
End oligarchy and the growth of massive income and wealth inequality by demanding
that the wealthy start paying their fair share of taxes. We must rescind
Trump's tax breaks for billionaires and close corporate tax loopholes.
Increase
Wages: Raise the
minimum wage to $15 an hour, establish pay equity for women and revitalize the
trade union movement. In the United States, if you work 40 hours a week, you
should not live in poverty.
Make
health care a right:
Guarantee health care for everyone through a Medicare-for-all program. We
cannot continue a dysfunctional healthcare system which costs us about twice as
much per capita as any other major country and leaves 30 million uninsured.
Transform
our energy system:
Combat the global crisis of climate change which is already causing massive
damage to our planet. In the process, we can create millions of good paying
jobs as we transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy
efficiency and sustainable energy.
Rebuild
America: Pass a $1
trillion infrastructure plan. In the United States we must not continue to have
roads, bridges, water systems, rail transport, and airports in disrepair.
Jobs
for All: There is an
enormous amount of work to be done throughout our country – from building
affordable housing and schools to caring for our children and the elderly. 75
years ago, FDR talked about the need to guarantee every able-bodied person in
this country a good job as a fundamental right. That was true in 1944. It is
true today.
Quality
Education: Make public
colleges and universities tuition free, lower student debt, adequately fund
public education and move to universal childcare. Not so many years ago, the
United States had the best education system in the world. We much regain that
status again.
Retirement
Security: Expand Social
Security so that every American can retire with dignity and everyone with a
disability can live with security. Too many of our elderly, disabled and
veterans are living on inadequate incomes. We must do better for those who
built this country.
Women's
rights: It is a woman,
not the government, who should control her own body. We must oppose all efforts
to overturn Roe v. Wade, protect Planned Parenthood and oppose restrictive
state laws on abortion.
Justice
for All: End mass
incarceration and pass serious criminal justice reform. We must no longer spend
$80 billion a year locking up more people than any other country. We must
invest in education and jobs, not jails and incarceration.
Comprehensive
immigration reform: It is
absurd and inhumane that millions of hardworking people, many of whom have
lived in this country for decades, are fearful of deportation. We must provide
legal status to those who are in the DACA program, and a path to citizenship
for the undocumented.
Social
Justice: End
discrimination based on race, gender, religion, place of birth or sexual
orientation. Trump cannot be allowed to succeed by dividing us up. We must
stand together as one people.
A
new foreign policy: Let
us create a foreign policy based on peace, democracy and human rights. At a
time when we spend more on the military than the next ten countries combined,
we need to take a serious look at reforming the bloated and wasteful $716
billion annual Pentagon budget.
In the
New Year, let us resolve to fight like we have never fought before for a
government, a society and an economy that works for all of us, not just those
on top.
Wishing
you a wonderful new year,
Bernie
Sanders
Paid
for by Friends of Bernie Sanders
PO
BOX 391, Burlington, VT 05402
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